Logistic Apparatus -- Beyond Geography

Logistical

Apparatus

beyond geography

Zheng Fang ARC 408

Yuntian Zhang Instructor: Yanfei Shui Teaching Assistant: Linlin Luo Yujun Mao Syracuse University School of Architecture Fall 2020 Shanghai Visiting Critic Studio

TABLE OF CONTENT HIDDEN HISTORY TECHNIQUE CONTEMPORARY INFLUENCE

The Onset of Maritime History

Dating back to as early as 3,200 BCE, maritime transportation originated on the northern coast of Africa, where the Egyptians traded extensively. Maritime trading has always been a dominant force in supporting global trading. China, in the 10th century, also took part in global maritime trading. As one of the earliest large scale expeditions, admiral zhenghe led seven trips towards the west in attempts to assert maritime dominance. But major maritime trading did not take shape until the 16th century, when European colonial powers established firm maritime networks, trading extensively in northern Indian, atlantic, and the Mediterranean area.

Just as Maritime logistics provide trading for multiple partners, the lack of maritime logistics also determine the size of the cities. The size of pre-industrial cities are almost always smaller than 20 square kilometers, as modes of transportations at hand render it difficult to cover such a distance.

While maritime trading networks involved substantial capital, it remains at a stage of trading as means to cope with scarcity rather than the logistical landscape we see today.

Before the major technical advancements of the industrial era, transportation largely depended on animal labor as well as wind for maritime transportation. Sails were a later addition to ships as the propulsion of the ships relied solely on the rowers before 25,000 BCE. Furthermore, it could be argued that sea trading is critical to the building of a civilization as the earliest culture almost all existed around water (Tigris-Euphrates, nile, and huanghe).

Egyptian maritime trading techno-fossil

As early as 3000 BCE, the Egyptians were adept shipbuilders who are able to assemble ships using woven staps and wooden planks. Even before the first dynasty in Egypt, King Narmer’s colony in Canaan were ordered to produce pottery stamped with his name, and exported back to Egypt using the ships. As later discovered, the remnant of the pottery was a shattered piece of what is originally a wine jar. This evidence supports the early trading networks between Palestine, Egypt, and Greece, as the climate in Egypt renders it impossible to produce wine.

One may suggest that early maritime trading was not a coordinated endeavor to catalyst economic growth, but very simply an attempt to deal with scarcity of products . Trading is also directly appointed by the empirial powers rather than groups of individuals.

Zhenghe Expedition 14th century

In the 14th century China, as an awareness of the “world ” had become acute due to the continued trading between China, and the Arabian peninsula. Emperor Yongle ordered the seven major expeditions to assert dominance in the Indian ocean. Zheng he, the admiral led a large fleet with over 28,000 men. While the overwhelmingly large fleet displayed the Chinese military might, the trade routes were already mapped, and carefully designed to facilitate the smooth running of the expedition. Trading with countries along his routes, Zheng he’s 28,000 men fleet subdued enemies and pirates along his way.

The pet giraffe of the Sultan of Bengal, brought from the Somali Ajuran Empire, and later taken to China in 1415.

Colonial Power in the 16th century

The beginning of the Colonial power was marked by the discovery of the North-Atlantic Circular wind patterns by the Portuguese in 1431, as it helped increase the distance of travel by ships and also the consistency of the travel routes. The convenience of the new wind patterns, and the fall of Constantinople in 1453 forcing western Europeans to look for alternative trade routes led to an era of explorations.

Wooden planking is visible in a test excavation in a boat grave at Abydos. (Penn-Yale-NYU)

Map of Canaan 1692, by Phillip Lea

Industrial age and Pre-Container age

History of the pre-container age; invention of container; containerization

Modern container, and containerization can be traced back to the mid-20th century. As a means of transporting cargo efficiently and economically through different modes of transportation, the simple container has transformed the supply chain, managed to build around it an entire array of systems to help catalyst international trading.

The idea of a container, though, was not a modern invention. In the pre Maclean container age, break bulk cargo were transported using crates, sacks, and barrels, which can be extremely labor intensive. To put into perspective, ships can very easily spend more time in ports for loading and unloading than traveling in the sea. The amount of congestions caused by the slow handling of cargo limited the volume of the trade, and could lead to loss and theft during the process. There were basic means of making the process more efficient. Ropes were used to secure bundles of timber, while sacks are used to contain coffee beans. Although the invention of the steam engine, and the widespread of railway systems and ships in the 18th century immensely expanded the economy, it also begged for a more efficient container of cargo. With the invention of engine-powered ships, the range of potential has been greatly expanded. The new ships were also optimized by the use of oil instead of coal, reducing the cost of fuel.

Before the invention of the Standardized metal container, goods are handled as break bulk cargo. This method required goods to be moved from one location to another that involved a long time for the processing of goods, and cost-inefficiency. However, there were indeed many attempts of intermodal transportation before Mclean’s version. By the 1830s, railroads were carrying containers that were suitable for other transport modes. The U.S. Army used standard-sized small containers during WWII, which helped in faster distribution of supplies.

The Hooping of Herring Barrils (title on object) Groote Vissery (series title).Kuipers manufacture herring barrels on the quay. Adolf van der Laan, Amsterdam, 1728 - 1761, paper, etching

Amphora

is a two-handled clay storage jar that contains liquids such as oil, milk, wine, or grains. But it can also contain funeral offerings, or human remains.

Though Amphorae are used as containers, they also serve ceremonial purposes. In ancient Greece, a substantial number of painted amphorae are produced with variations in their design. While some amphorae has large openings, others are glazed, and decorated with human figures and geometric shapes. These finely crafted containers (filled with olive oil from a sacred grove) are used in the Panathenaic Festivals held between the 6th to 2nd century.

Finely crafted containers are not only used as prizes, but also serve funerary purposes, often used as grave markers and contain ashes of the deceased.

“Amphorae are of great use to maritime archaeologists, as they often indicate the age of a shipwreck and the geographic origin of the cargo. They are occasionally so well preserved that the original content is still present, providing information on foodstuffs and mercantile systems. Amphorae were too cheap and plentiful to return to their origin-point and so, when empty, they were broken up at their destination.”

Photographs of the two types of amphoras .Image courtesy of the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, Ephorate of Underwater Antiquities.

The Sileni boogie down. Amasis painter. ca. 525 B.C. Image courtesy of people.duke.edu

Barrels

are cylindrical containers with a slightly wider middle than the two ends. They are made from narrow lengths of wooden pieces bounded by metal rings. Barrel’s primary functions are to contain liquids such as water, oil, and alcoholic beverages. But historically, they are also used to contain other products such as honey, molasses, fish, meat, and gunpowder.

The wooden barrels were used to transport wine for the army during long conquests of the Roman Empire. The choice of oak as the material for the barrel is no accident as it produces the more favorable tastes than other woods such as fir. Furthermore, the transporting of the barrels was no easy task. In fact, tuns were the standardized unit of transporting wine since the middle ages, holding 950 liters of wine each barrel.

Transportation of tuns, due to their immense weight, usually requires water. And because of people’s love for wine produced in France, the carrying capacity of a ship is measured by how many tuns it can carry, as opposed to tonnage, or TEU by today’s standards

1898 J.C. Roth Patented Barrel for Maritime transportation

1914

The image depicts a group of soldiers transporting wine during the early days of WWI.

Charles Minard’s map showed the movement of wine & spirits in the 1860s. He plotted land transport via railroads in pink, and river transport via boat in green. Yellow lines represent overseas exports.

Pyramidal pile of herring barrels in Scheveningen, the Netherlands

This picture appears to be taken long after tank cars were invented for the transport of oil. The barrels are probably carrying “food quality” liquids. Lining the inside with glass to make a “food quality” tank car probably happened later

Box Cars

are similar to a container but exclusive to the railroad. For a hundred years, the box car is able to carry anything you can stuff into it. This technology transformed the ways which we traditionally transport many types of cargo. For instance, liquid goods were stored in barrels and then moved into boxcars, while grains are poured into the boxcar, completely getting rid of the cost to move them in sacks.

“Railroads quickly developed flatcars and covered flatcars, i.e. boxcars. Railroaders learned to “pour” grain into boxcars so they no longer had to pay for the labor of carrying sacks of grain. But you cannot pour liquids into a boxcar. So they continued to ship liquids with barrels.”

“Railroads quickly developed flatcars and covered flatcars, i.e. boxcars. Railroaders learned to “pour” grain into boxcars so they no longer had to pay for the labor of carrying sacks of grain. But you cannot pour liquids into a boxcar. So they continued to ship liquids with barrels.”

This picture appears to be taken long after tank cars were invented for the transport of oil. The barrels are probably carrying “food quality” liquids. Lining the inside with glass to make a “food quality” tank car probably happened later

Connex Box

is a steel container designed in during the 1940’s and 50’s by the military. This form of container units was first tested during WWII, when large quantities of supplies were shipped to the battlefields due to the time-sensitive nature of the warfare. Before the invention of such a unit, the break bulk cargo was typically delayed at transport stations loading and unloading, and often times subject to pilferage and damages. The initial deployment of such a unit was in the Korean wars, which proved successful. It then evolved into the CONEX (container express), a modular system which permitted stacking.

This picture appears to be taken long after tank cars were invented for the transport of oil. The barrels are probably carrying “food quality” liquids. Lining the inside with glass to make a “food quality” tank car probably happened later

“In 1952, a trucking company owner named Malcom McLean worked with engineer Keith Tantlinger to develop the modern intermodal container...The box they designed was 8 ft by 8 ft by 10 ft of corrugated steel with a twistlock mechanism at each of the four top corners to facilitate movement with cranes. This team patented the first modern standardized reusable shipping container. Since that time the US Military has containerized many aspects of combat & logistical operations in the field”

This picture appears to be taken long after tank cars were invented for the transport of oil. The barrels are probably carrying “food quality” liquids. Lining the inside with glass to make a “food quality” tank car probably happened later

Feedsack

dress became popular in the U.S. as sacks replaced barrels as the predominant container for storing flour, sugar, and animal feeds. By the early 20th century, Gingham girl had begun selling products with sacks made from dress quality fabric.

Sack

is a bag made out of cheap cotton that contains grains, food, or any type of break-bulk cargo. Sacks typically have trademarks printed on the outside of them to show the companies who produced this product. The materials used for sacks can also be used to reproduce linens and clothing.Flour Sacks are essential to any households. As a result, the empty sacks are recycled and made into household linens, and clothings. Even more for the refugees, who would often use them to replace worn-out clothing.

dress became popular in the U.S. as sacks replaced barrels as the predominant container for storing flour, sugar, and animal feeds. By the early 20th century, Gingham girl had begun selling products with sacks made from dress quality fabric.

Feedsack

INTERMODALISM

Intermodal Transportation

Each carrier issuing its own tickets. The transportation of goods through a designated port which process the transition from one means to another. For instance, shipping containers are transported to a port, which then, are transported to storage facilities through trucks.

Multi Modal Transportation

Transfer of goods or passengers using one ticket. The exchange of transportation, in this case, is organized and requires integration between the multiple stakeholders -- the terminal operators, the different carriers.

Transmodal Transportation

Transfer of goods withing the same mode of transportation. For instance, one container is dropped off at the terminal by one ship to be then picked up by another ship. This transaction ensures the continuity within the network.

Intermodalism requires a overall management of the different transportation networks. The entire route must be conceived as a whole, and should be organize under these conditions.

Type and Quantity

Usually finished product that is confined by a maximum weight of 25 tons.

Sequencing and modes

Trucking , Rail, barges and maritime. Air transportation only require trucking for its first and last mile, and air transportation loading units are incompatible with all other loading units.

Distance

Intermodal transportation usually happens when the distance between the origin and the destination is further than 500km (distance a truck can travel within a day)

Value of the cargo

Cargo of higher value usually opt for direct means (Air). Cargo of lower value, usually point to point, usually require one means of transportation(Rail or Maritime).

Regular Frequency

Intermodal transportation is optimized when products flow in a regular frequency and in similar quantity.

Container Specification

Intermodal Transportation

Global standardization of shipping containers

pushes globalization

Most of the contemporary containers are standardized by the ISO, including standard dry storage containers, open-top containers, flat rack containers, refrigerated containers, tank containers, swap body containers, open-side contaienrs and other variations of the dry storage containers. They all have 20ft and 40ft configurations and some logistical services provide 10ft configuration of containers. Though intermodal containers haven’t fully fulfilled the goal of all-transportcompatible. Each tranport method has its own modular loading system that makes the intermodal transition easier. Various types of shipping containers result in the development of wagons for loading different types of goods. Aircrafts have a unique modular system called unit load device that increases the efficiency in space and loading/unloading.

Container trucks connect cargo ports and other parties in the logistic network. Its load capacity is the lowest and is more often used in low to medium-distance transport of smaller amount of goods, mainly for companies, warehouses, and microfulfillment centers.

Cargo ship is the main transport method in global logistic industry with lower speed but lower costs and largest load capacity. Cargo ships connect ports among countries and are often used in international logistical activities. MV Maersk Mc-Kinney Møller is now the biggest container vessel in the world with 18720 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).

Increased compatibility of containers in various transportations

Cargo planes are the fastest among all four of them but the capacity of load is smaller than cargo ships and cargo trains. Cargo planes are used when smaller amount of commodities need to be transported and sometimes used for emergent supports both domestically and internationally.

Cargo trains not only can carry intermodal containers, but also have their own wagons modified for various functions like refrigerated wagons, flat wagons and so on. They are mainly used in long-distance transport of heavy bulk cargos, industrial goods, and commodities.

Scale Comparison

Inter-modalism Timeline

Contemporary Influence